Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny

Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny

Developed by Austrian developer Crafty Studios, Realms of Arkania – Blade of Destiny is a faithful remake of the 1992 original, adored by a generation of Role Players and one of the most successful RPG’s of the 1990’s.

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A legend reborn as Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny returns!

Developed by Austrian developer Crafty Studios, Realms of Arkania – Blade of Destiny is a faithful remake of the 1992 original, adored by a generation of Role Players and one of the most successful RPG’s of the 1990’s.

Get ready to return to Thorwal, one of the oldest cities of Aventuria. Make sure your wits are sharpened before walking down the small alleys of Thorwal and Prem, and prepare to stop the Orcisch threat while creating a mighty alliance between nations. Featuring a complete visual reimagining along with a comprehensive overhaul of every aspect of the gameplay, Realms of Arkania – Blade of Destiny is set to captivate a 21st century audience of new and old fans alike.

Reviews for Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny

Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny is the one of many RPG from the 90's that was brought back to this modern gaming era as a remake of the original one, at first it was kind of broken, filled with bugs and glitches, but now the game is pretty much playable. This is a really good RPG, and a RPG itself, with unique stats for the characters and your party. In conclusion, this is a must have for any RPG fans.
Recommended.

80

Yes, I do recommend Realms of Arkania, but with a number of caveats.

Jack2Shepard

06/21/2017

Realms of Arkania is definitely "budget," definitely indie, and most definitely rough around the edges in places. RoA still has a couple of UI glitches, and isn't always pretty to look at. The English voice acting is atrocious. However, the game-stopping bugs present at launch have been fixed. The visuals are adequate; not great, but not terrible. The voice acting, luckily, can be disabled.
As for gameplay, RoA is almost more of a management sim than a typical RPG. I actually appreciate that. The preparation you have to put into traveling during the winter months is possibly more important than how well-equipped your party is for combat. You just don't see certain kinds of brutal gameplay concepts (exposure, thirst & starvation, exhaustion, sickness & disease) in these kinds of games anymore. Unless you play smart, your adventure can easily end during the first winter, with your frostbitten party starving to death on a mountain trail.
How many fantasy RPGs have you played lately in which a winter coat is more important to your survival than a +3 sword? Now, I didn't buy RoA at release. In fact, I didn't begin playing it until after the final major patch was out. So I didn't experience how badly broken it was at release. My only experience of RoA is with the game in its current state.
So, how is it currently? As far as I can tell, RoA is feature-complete compared to the original Realms of Arkania game from the '90s. Every quest present and working in the original is present and working in this remake. In fact, the devs have added new bits of content to the game (quests, encounters, etc), so the game now has MORE content than the original.
Again, RoA isn't the prettiest game to look at. But the gameplay itself is just what I was looking for when I bought it - unforgiving, difficult, oldschool, and based in the Dark Eye universe.
At over 100 hours ingame, and having finished the main questline and nearly all side quests, I can honestly say that I got my money's worth out of Realms of Arkania. Your mileage may vary, however, depending on how tolerant you are of outdated graphics, general lack of polish, and brutally unforgiving gameplay straight out of 1992.

80

A satisfying RPG

ConorEngelb

08/09/2013

The combination of fairly decent graphics and well-rounded gameplay makes this game worth giving a try.
A throwback to old school RPGs, Realms of Arkania blends a 3D world with round-based combat to great effect. It requires skill and finesse to succeed in besting your opponents.

85

An RPG Gem!

Trollfaceyomama

08/06/2013

Realms of Arkania is a complex RPG. It comes with a steep learning curve and daunting complexity which scares away probably all but the most dedicated RPGers.
RoA uses a unusual character system where you don't just get 7 positive stats (strength, dexterity, wisdom etc.), but also 7 negative stats (superstition, claustrophobia, curiosity, acrophobia, avarice, necrophobia, violent temper), all with direct effects on gameplay. It's just one of the factors which makes the game more intriguing.
These games are also noted for their realism. This includes the partys hunger and thirst, as well as the effects of weather and terrain on movement. It's probably the most accurate CRPG ever in terms of adventurers health problems. Your characters will become sick if they aren't dressed properly for the climate they pass through. They will get sick if they sleep on the ground. They will get sick if they get wet. They will get sick if they don't get enough sleep. They will get sick if attacked by undead. Their wounds will get infected if they don't stop and take care of them after each combat.
Realms of Arkania games are as much RPG as you can get. It's not your standard run of the mill action-RPG, it's RPG pure. There's a reason why they've gotten published by Sir Tech, who are responsible for the Wizardry games. They require patience and commitment, much like all great games of its kind. But it rewards you with that special experience, that keeps lingering in the back of your head for a lot of time after you played it.